1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to modular plugs and plug installation structures, and more specifically, to a modular plug having an operations lever for turning off a lock with a connecter when the modular plug is pulled out from the connector and a plug installation structure.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, when an electronic device is connected to another electronic device by a cable or the like, a connector and a plug are used. In this case, a cable plug is provided at a cable side and a connector where this cable plug is installed is provided at an electronic device side. Recently and continuously, it has been desired that size and thickness of the electronic device in which the connector is provided be made small and operability of the electronic device be improved. Therefore, cable plugs which correspond to such miniaturization and by which operability is attempted to be improved are suggested.
On the other hand, accompanying the recent spread of broadband, communication devices have been provided where a large amount of access side wirings (Ethernet signals or the like) is received and signals are multiplexed and concentrated so as to be sent to a transport side. In such a communication device, generally, an RJ-45 modular plug and connector are used. See Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 63-184271. An installation structure of a related art connector used for such a communication device is discussed with reference to FIG. 1 through FIG. 4.
FIG. 1 is a view showing a first related art modular plug (hereinafter “plug”) 10A and FIG. 2 is a view showing a connector 1 where the plug 10A is inserted.
The plug 10A includes a plug main body 11, a lock claw 12, a lever part 14, and others. A cable 13 is connected to the plug main body 11. This cable 13 is electrically connected to a contact pin (not shown in FIG. 1) provided in the plug main body 11. Furthermore, the lock claw 12 prevents removal of the plug 10A from the connector 1 when the plug 10A is installed in the connector 1. The lock claw 12 is formed in a body with the lever part 14. The lever part 14 can be moved in directions indicated by arrows A1 and A2 in FIG. 1. The plug main body 11 and the lever part 14 are clamped by fingers and the lever part 14 is moved in the directions indicated by the arrow A2 so that the lock is turned off (disengaged).
FIG. 2 shows an example where two connectors 1 are stacked so that a large number of access side wirings are received.
Referring to FIG. 2, the connector 1 includes a first connectors gathering body 3 and a second connectors gathering body 4. The first connectors gathering body 3 is formed by eight connector parts 8 provided in a line in directions indicated by arrows X1 and X2. The second connectors gathering body 4 is formed by eight connector parts 8 provided in a line in directions indicated by arrows X1 and X2. The second connectors gathering body 4 is provided on the first connectors gathering body 3. The first connectors gathering body 3 and the second connectors gathering body 4 are resin sealed by molded resin 9.
Each of the connector parts 8 corresponds to an RJ-45 connector. Therefore, eight leads 6 and eight leads 7 are extended from surface sides of the connector parts 8. More specifically, the first leads 6 are extended from the connector parts 8 forming the first connectors gathering body 3 and the second leads 7 are extended from the connector parts 8 forming the second connectors gathering body 4.
The leads 6 and 7 are extended in horizontal directions at designated lengths and bent downward. Lower end parts of the bent leads 6 and 7 are connected by soldering to lands formed on a printed wiring board 2.
As discussed above, the connector part 8 corresponds to the RJ-45 connector. A plug having a lock claw is installed in the connector part 8. Therefore, in a case where plural connectors 1 are stacked, it is necessary to provide operations spaces for operating the lever parts 14 between the connectors 1.
FIG. 3 is a view showing a second related art plug. FIG. 4 is a view showing operations of the second related art plug. More specifically, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 show a plug 10B disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Publication No. 63-184271. In FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, parts that are the same as the parts of the plug 10A shown in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, and explanation thereof is omitted. In the plug 10B, a pressed part 15 is formed at an end part of the lever part 14. A movable part 16 is provided to be movable along the plug main body 11.
When the plug 10B is removed from the connector 1, both side of the movable part 16 are clamped by fingers and the movable part 16 is moved in a removable direction, namely the left direction in FIG. 4. As a result of this, the movable part 16 comes in contact with the pressed part 15 and the pressed part 15 is forced downward, so that the lever part 14 is pressed downward. Hence, engagement with the connector 1 of the plug 10B by the lock claw 12 is turned off so that the plug 10B can be removed from the connector 1.
However, in the related art plug 10A shown in FIG. 1, in order to remove (pull out) the plug 10A from the connector 1, it is necessary to allow for operations of the lever part 14 as shown in FIG. 5. Here, FIG. 5 is a view showing a disadvantage of the first related art plug.
Therefore, as discussed above, it is necessary to provide the operations spaces for operation of the lever part 14 between a pair of the connectors 1 situated at upper and lower parts. Because of this, height of a space between the connector upper and lower parts (indicated by an arrow “h1” in FIG. 2) is great so that the thickness of the connector cannot be made small.
In addition, in the plug 10B shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, although it is not necessary to clamp the plug main body 11 and the lever part 14 in upper and lower directions, it is necessary to clamp the movable part 16 from left and right directions in order to remove the plug 10B from the connector 1. Because of this, in the structure of the plug 10B, installation density of the connector parts 8 in the directions indicated by the arrows X1 and X2 in FIG. 2(A) is decreased. Hence, it is not possible to achieve miniaturization of the connectors.